Getting to Semiahmoo

Rain in the morning subsided by the time CJ was out of bed. For the record, it was before 8am but hours after the FM wake up time. The FM had a fine time reading, coloring and even taking a call for work. After showers at the marina it was time for departure. Channel navigation was pretty easy. We kept her in the middle and didn’t run aground. There was another bridge to duck which was absolutely fine but your mind still worries. There was a bald eagle sitting on a marker with a rainbow in the background. Poetic.

Not much wind to speak of so we are motoring up to Sucia today. CJ ran the water maker for a few hours to give it some exercise. Most of Nootka’s systems have had a break for a few years and we need to remind them what they do around here and get them some practice. We will be at anchor tonight so the batteries will get a workout. The sun is out and the islands are beautiful. Everything is peaceful. CJ is rolling sea shanties in the cockpit. So far everything but the knot meter seems to be working. It still feels like we are on a charter boat that we have to give back. We are pinching ourselves. No doubt we will start spending money and time fixing her soon enough and then we will belong to each other.

The lack of wind persisted so we motored the entirety of today’s journey. Arriving in Sucia we found lonely mooring balls and a single neighbor – a mast head sloop with a sugar scoop and a full enclosure. As soon as we got ourselves tied up they buggered out leaving us to enjoy this beautiful place by ourselves. We have been here twice before in the summer and had to share a full anchorage. The sun is out and the temps are mild. CJ and I are enjoying a glass of champagne in the cockpit listening to music. It is 65 degrees out and feels amazing.

After taking a moment to relax and toast ourselves for another great voyage we decided to try out the unnamed dingy. We used the crane to lower the outboard to the dingy and CJ had it running a few minutes later. We took it for a little joy ride around the boat and then to shore to stretch out legs. We went for a hike around the island where we discovered that we don’t actually have Sucia to ourselves … just Echo Bay. There were a handful of boats in the other anchorages. The walk was lovely and we got back to the beach to find the dingy waiting. Back to Nootka to enjoy the last of the sun and then a nice dinner and movie aboard. Hard to beat this kind of day.

Friday morning after our first night away from the dock and all is well. Nootka took good care of us. The cabin is warm, the fridge is cold and the coffee is yummy. Perfection! I spent a few hour in the morning doing work emails and a few meetings. Suddenly, the cabin filled with bright orange light. I scrambled up the stairs to one of the most beautiful sunrises I have ever seen. I stayed on deck taking pictures until my bare feet were numb. We are going to be those parents with 1000 pictures of their newborn … “oh but this one is from a slightly different angle”. When Jess got up he made pancakes and then we took the dingy to shore. Both times we have been here before we went to the left. This time we went right and took the 2.1 mile trail to Ewing Cover. New favorite place! The trail is amazing and Ewing Cove is special. The sound of the frogs was so loud we had to shout at each other to be heard. When we reached the marsh where the frogs lived they suddenly fell silent as a bald eagle flew overhead. After a minute or so they slowly started up again. We sat and watched a seal swim across the cover, bald eagles in the trees. It is a stunning place. And there are 3 mooring balls there for future reference.

We had Echo Bay to ourselves until about dinner time when another sailboat came in. After dark a bigger boat – probably a commercial fisherman came in and anchored. The wind picked up to 9 knots but quickly subsided. Jess vacuumed the boat while I measured some of the storage spaces. Then I did yoga in the boat and I have to say that it was amazing. I can’t believe we have enough space for yoga. We have enough space for dancing too. I am loving the little table that Glen built. We hardly use the big table. This boat gets better and better. We watched a movie and off to bed, another perfect, lovely day.

Saturday morning and it is time to take Nootka to her new marina. Waking up in the morning we saw that we shared the bay with the Coast Guard – anchored out deeper. The skies were overcast and the forecast has building wind. We readied the ship for sailing! Getting the sails up was easy but still very exciting. CJ quickly embraced his new electric winch as the main sail was up in a flash. We sailed downwind all the way to Semiahmoo. We jibed a few times – CJ even did a solo jibe while FM was defrosting her fingers.

And so it came to be that on a cold, windy and rainy day, Nootka arrived in her new home port. The wind picked up right as we were bringing her into the marina – blowing us off the dock towards our new powerboat neighbor. The fairways are narrow and Nootka doesn’t turn quickly. So the landing wasn’t pretty but it happened without major incident, though we got more intimate with A New Day that we would like as we fended off to avoid bumping. Once we landed we had some work to do to put her away – namely we needed to deal with the dingy which we deflated, folded and stowed on deck. We hoisted in on deck with the electric winch but only after I struggled try to use the silly regular winch. What a bafoon! The finger dock was covered in bird droppings and shells which was quite a mess that we walked through and drug on deck. We hooked up the hose to fresh water and got the dock and the boat washed down. Meanwhile, down below, a lasagna was baking in the oven which was extremely welcoming on this blustery day. We ate lasagna and enjoyed a glass of red wine to reflect on our first voyage.

We achieved our goal – move Nootka north – but we did so much more than that. We started a new love affair. The more we get to know her, the deeper we fall. Little things add up – quiet, capable pumps, clever upgrades and even the ships bells add to Nootka’s charm. We loved this boat the first time we saw her. Now after spending the last week on her we love her even more. It is clear that the previous owner, Glen, felt the same way because she is so well maintained. We hope to do him proud as we take over stewardship of this beautiful boat.